EDUCATION GUIDE - Bologna Performing Arts Center
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EDUCATION
GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THEATRE ETIQUETTE ........................................................................ 1-2
MICHAEL BOND ................................................................................. 3
ILLUSTRATORS - PADDINGTON OVER THE YEARS ................... 4-5
PERUVIAN BEARS ..................................................................................... 6
LONDON .................................................................................................... 7
CREATING THE SHOW ........................................................................ 8
MAKING PUPPETS ............................................................................ 9-10
MR. CURRY’S HOME, THE SET ....................................................... 11
PROPS ........................................................................................................ 12
SOUND AND MUSIC IN PADDINGTON ............................................ 13
LIGHTS IN PADDINGTON .................................................................. 14
OPERATING PADDINGTON ................................................................ 15
STAGE MAGIC ........................................................................................ 16
THAT KIND OF BEAR ............................................................................ 17
MAGIC ACTIVITIES ......................................................................... 18-19
BAKING ACTIVITIES ........................................................................... 20
CREATIVE ACTIVITIES .......................................................................... 21
BOOKLIST ................................................................................................. 22
PRESHOW QUESTIONS ....................................................................... 23
AFTERSHOW QUESTIONS ................................................................ 24
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES ............................................................ 25-35
TC
THEATRE ETIQUETTE
The fantastic thing about going to see live theatre is that it is a shared community
event where everyone plays an important part. Just like the movies, you hear pre-show
announcements about theatre etiquette. Happily, the vast majority of our audience
members help us make the theater-going experience better for everyone by complying
with the requests. But if you or the kids in your life have ever wondered why we ask the
things we do, here are some explanations:
Please completely turn off all
electronic devices including
cell phones, cameras and video
recorders.
Why turn them completely off? So they won’t
get used. Airplane mode will stop incoming
calls and messages, but it won’t stop people
from using their devices to take pictures,
record audio or video, read books or play
games during the show.
1
THEATRE ETIQUETTE
Phone calls and texting are a appreciate that people want to capture a
distraction to the audience and memory to enjoy later, but it is actually a
violation of contract, and of trust between
performers, and can pose a safety
the artists and the audience.
hazard as well as interfere with our
sound system. You are welcome to take pictures after the
The distraction factor is an easy one to show and of family and friends in their seats
explain. It is very difficult for people to ignore before or after the show, or when talking to
a lit screen. Walk through a room where a the actors at autographs after the show,
TV is on and you are going to at least glance with their permission. If you are not sure if a
at it. In a darkened theater, eyes are drawn photograph is permitted, please ask.
to the light. Everyone sitting anywhere
behind someone looking at a lit phone will If you are with someone who
turn their attention to that phone. And the
actors on stage can see the screen lighting
becomes noisy or restless, please
up the holder’s face. A ringing phone or text be kind to your neighbors.
message alert takes everyone in the theater, We love our audiences and want them
on stage and off, out of the moment. to express themselves during the show—
How does this create a safety hazard? laughing, clapping, shouting in amazement.
Distraction can be a problem for actors and It’s part of the community experience. But
crew whose focus needs to stay on doing their everyone has moments when they just don’t
work safely, especially when working on, with want to be where they are. And sometimes
or around moving scenic pieces or as scenery they express this quite loudly. Please keep this
is being lowered to the stage. in mind and use theatre facilities as a chance
to settle in private.
Do electronics in the audience really interfere
with the sound system? Yes. You would not
notice it over the speaker system in the house,
but our crew is on wireless headsets, and
electronic devices in the audience can cause
interference. If crew can’t hear cues and
communicate with each other, they can’t do
their job safely or efficiently.
Also, taking pictures or video is
not allowed.
One of our responsibilities to these artists
is to help protect their work from illegal
distribution or piracy. Contractually, the use
of images of their designs and recordings of
their work is very specifically controlled. We
2
About the Author
MICHAEL BOND
Michael Bond was born in Newbury,
Berkshire, England on January 13th,
1926. He was raised in Reading
where his love for trains was fostered
by going to the Reading railway
station. His education was cut short
due to World War II.
He served in the British Royal Air
Force as well as the Middlesex
Regiment of the British Army.
He discovered he enjoyed writing
when he sold his first short story to
the London Opinion. Then he went
on to producing some short plays
and stories as well as getting a nice
stable job as a cameraman for the
BBC.
He was quite pleased with his
situation and would have continued
this way, however on Christmas
Eve in 1956 he saw a sweet little
toy bear on a shelf by its lonesome.
Bond decided to buy it and take it
home as a present for his wife, naming the bear Paddington since they lived near
Paddington station at the time. Michael Bond started to write some fun stories
about the bear and after 10 days he realized he had written a book! He sent it to
his agent, who loved it and found a publisher for the book. On October 13 1958, “A
Bear Named Paddington” was published.
Michael Bond went on to write more books in the Paddington series as well as
writing other fiction books for children and adults. He wrote almost 150 books
during his life. He was awarded with an OBE (Officer of Order of British Empire) for
services to children’s literature in 1997 as well as CBE (Commander of the Order of
the British Empire) in the Queen’s Birthday Honors in 2015.
Michael Bond lived near Paddington Station most of his adult life which inspired
many of his stories. He continued to write until he died peacefully on Jun 27 2017
3
PADDINGTON THROUGH THE YEARS
THE ILLUSTRATORS
Peggy Fortnum
Peggy Fortnum was Paddington’s
first illustrator, illustrating all of the books
in the original Paddington series. Her
beautiful Paddington illustrations were
black and white, done with pen and ink.
Some of her illustrations have been colored
by other artists-including some by her
niece Caroline Nuttal-Smith!
Ivor Wood
Ivor Wood designed the puppet
for the original television series,
developed a cartoon image
of Paddington for a series of
four frame strip comics, and
his illustrations were used for a
different merchandise, including
wonderful stationary.
Barry Macey
Barry Macey did a lot of artwork for many
Paddington products and Paddington
prints. He also illustrated “Paddington
on Screen” which was a compilation of
stories from the Blue Peter annuals.
4
PADDINGTON THROUGH THE YEARS
THE ILLUSTRATORS
Fred Banbery
In 1972, Michael Bond started a
Paddington series for young readers. These
were picture books require much more
illustrations, usually very detailed and in
color, which are very different illustrations
from novels. So Fred Banbery was
hired as the illustrator for six of these
Paddington books.
David McKee
In the 1980s, Michael Bond wrote
another series of Paddington
picture books for young readers,
but this time David McKee was
the illustrator since the books were
designed for a smaller format.
David McKee has also illustrated his
own books including King Rollo, Mr.
Benn, and Elmer the Elephant.
R.W. Alley
R.W. Alley has been illustrating many
Paddington picture books since the
1990’s, many of them being re-illustrating,
along with iApp versions. Alley using pen
and ink along with watercolor to give
delightful new illustrations to classic
Paddington stories.
5
PERUVIAN BEARS
Originally Michael Bond wanted Paddington
to be a bear from Africa, but upon researching
he found out that there are not any bears that
are indigneous to Africa! So instead he decided
that Paddington would hail from South America,
particularly Peru, where the Spectacled Bear, or
known as the Andean Bear, lives.
The Spectacled Bear is the only Bear found
in South America. They are named after the
markings around their eyes, which are whitish
yellowish rings that look like glasses against their
black or brown fur. The markings are not the
same on all Spectacled Bears, some even have
no markings at all.
Spectacled Bears are often shy, love to climb
(they are excellent climbers, climbing as high
as 14,000 feet). They prefer to live in the cloud
forests on the slopes of the Andes, but will
descend the mountain in search of food and
have been located in many different terrains.
The Bears are mostly vegetarian
with very powerful jaws to chew
through tough tree bark and
orchid bulbs, but love to eat fruit
and honey. They will however eat
meat sometimes to supplement
their diet.
They are generally nocturnal,
and adult bears like to live alone,
however when spectacled bears
are born they will live with their
mom for the first 8 months of their
lives, mostly hitching a ride on
their mother’s back.
6
LONDON
Although Paddington comes from Peru, he
traveled to London and lives with the Brown
Family in Windsor Gardens, London.
London is the capital of England, and the
largest city in all of the United Kingdom.
There are many famous landmarks in London
including Buckingham Palace, the Thames
River, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, and the
London Eye, one of the tallest observation
wheels in the world! Visiting London, tourists will
see red double decker buses and black taxis
on the streets. Many people all over the world
move to London to work there, making it a very
diverse city. There are over 8 million residents
living in London, and while English in the man
language spoken there, you can hear over 300
different languages throughout the city!
7
CREATING THE SHOW
There is a lot that goes into making a show! First a script must be written. Paddington Gets
in a Jam was written to be a brand new Paddington story, however it is heavily influenced by
past Paddington stories to give it that wonderful Paddington feel. Many Paddington books
were read and reread while writing the script.
Once a script is done, a director needs to find a group of designers to collaborate with to
decide what the show will look and sound like. For Paddington Gets in a Jam , it needed what
most shows needed- a Set designer, Lighting designer, Sound designer, Props builder, but also
needed a music designer, Puppet Builder, and a special effects designer.
MAKING THE PUPPETS
Very early on in the process of Paddington Gets in a Jam, Rockefeller Productions knew that
it wanted Paddington to be a puppet. Laura Manns was brought on as the puppet designer,
Vito Leanza was hired as the puppet builder and Arlee Chadwick designed and made the
comedic costumes for Paddington. The following is from an interview by Peter J Snee done for
AussieTheater.com
Tell me a little about the process of
creating the Paddington puppet?
LAURA MANNS (Puppet Designer):
Paddington has been reinterpreted many
times over the years by different llustrators, so
the design process began with an inspiration
board of different versions of Paddington,
from the original book illustrations to the
newer CG movie version. We wanted our
‘Rockefeller version’ of Paddington to have a
8MAKING THE PUPPETS (continued)
tactile, well-loved teddy bear appearance, to make his arms longer to give him better
with a contemporary touch so he was a movement and functionality. Our costume
combination of things that we liked from all designer would then take the costumes
the different versions. My puppet building and sew on the costumes affixing them
process begins with a maquette that I sculpt permanently to the puppet body.
out of plasticine. I derive the patterns from
that, scale and transfer them to foam, and ARLEE CHADWICK (Puppet Costumer):I built
then assemble and finish. My favourite part the character costumes that Paddington
about building Paddington was making his appears in during thecomedic scenes. Our
adorable paw pads! director sent me images of ideas he wanted.
I then created sketches, we chose fabric and
VITO LEANZA (Puppet Builder): Laura built put it all together.
the first ‘master’ Paddington puppet, and it
was my job to replicate him to create the six What were some of the challenges
versions actually used in the show (the master you faced?
version is not used). Every costume change
Paddington makes requires another puppet, LAURA MANNS (Puppet Designer): At first
as Paddington often changes costume mid- he wasn’t cute enough! I was near finishing
scene, and within seconds at that, and there Paddington up and something wasn’t quite
isn’t time to do this off stage. I redesigned right; he had more of a grown-up bear
much of the inside of the puppet, using appearance. I played around with bigger
stronger and longer-lasting materials that eyes, repositioning the nose, but couldn’t
were also lighter. I fixed mechanisms that figure it out. After a moment away from him,
allowed the puppeteers to manipulate the I came back and realized what it was: his
puppets easier and for longer periods of time. snout was too big. I shrunk the snout which
The only external change that was made in turn made all his facial features come
9MAKING THE PUPPETS (continued)
in towards the centre of his face, therefore puppet is being operated by human hands,
making his forehead bigger and perhaps but believing it wholeheartedly.
giving a slightly more infantile appearance.
Tiny tweaks sometimes make a big difference. VITO LEANZA (Puppet Builder): Puppets bring
a new kind of life to any stage production or
VITO LEANZA (Puppet Builder): My biggest film. They do things that humans can’t do,
challenge was that the original puppet was yet they can still make us laugh, cry, sing and
being used in rehearsals in New York City dance.
while I was deciphering patterns half a world
away. During the rehearsal process, the ARLEE CHADWICK (Puppet Costumer): I
production team worked out limitations of the have often been struck by how a flexible
puppet and what needed to be improved, storytelling art form puppetry is. Though
so I had to address those changes while puppetry has it’s variables, every performer
still making it look exactly like the original. has to be built. However, the total design
This took a lot of extra time that we didn’t freedom gives control over additional
have, but it was the only way we could get elements that makes puppetry a powerful
work done without me having to temporarily art form of expression.Puppetry can defy our
relocate to New York City. Through a lot worldly rules such as gravity, monsters, talking
of emails, phone calls, FaceTime and text animals, body morphing and fantastical
messages we managed to get it done. creatures. This art form can span ages, and
be used to educate children or show the
ARLEE CHADWICK (Puppet Costumer): When comedy of abuse for adults. The visual aspect
costuming for puppets, there are no initial can reach beyond language barriers. Because
patterns you can pull from. You have to of the flexibility of this art form, puppetry has
create your own. Unlike a human, the bear is a farther reach to audiences.
shaped like a barrel. At times, it was a difficult
shape to drape costumes for it. Why do you
think puppetry is important in theatre?
LAURA MANNS (Puppet Designer): I
remember seeing War Horse and by the end
forgetting it was a puppet. Puppets are
essential from a logistical standpoint; you
can’t have a horse perform daily, on cue, on
stage. And they are also necessary in the
sense that actors can’t take their place
(no matter how hard you try,
an actor is not a horse!).
There is something kind of
magical about knowing a
10THE SET: MR. CurrY’s HOME
Every show has a set, which is the scenery the outside of Mr. Curry’s house. However, it
that you see on stage. Paddington Gets in looked a little strange to try the same effect
a Jam takes place at 34 Windsor Gardens, for the upstairs rooms. Instead of the outside
which is Paddington’s next door neighbor, wall on the second floor, for the Bathroom,
Mr. Curry’s house. Sets need to be functional- the wall is Mr. Curry’s bath tub, and in the
meaning the set has to be able to be safe for Bedroom, the wall is Mr. Curry’s bed. This
all the things the show requires it to do. Since made the rooms look more natural, while
the play takes place in Mr. Curry’s house, also helping to define what the room is, as
there needed to be a lot of different rooms, well as hide the puppeteers. Along with being
so the set is actually two stories to show an functional, sets need to help the audience
upstairs and a downstairs! This means there know where the play is taking place, so they
had to be many exits and entrances. The need to look the part! To help the audience
house needs a front door, a hallway, entrance see and differentiate the rooms, each
and exit, a closet and doors leading to the room was given a color for the walls to help
bedroom and bathroom. That’s a lot of doors! separate it from the other rooms. They also
were filled with little details to make it look
When building a set, the designers and like Mr. Curry really lived in the house.
builders make sure that everything is safe
for the actors. So in building the second One object in the set that was both function
floor, they make sure it is strong enough and stylish was the fridge. The fridge helped
for all the actors and puppeteers to walk the audience know that that room of the
on, as well as putting rails so no one falls house was the kitchen, and it was a real
off! Since Paddington the puppet does working fridge! The set needed a fridge that
not have legs, the stairs had to be hidden worked because some of the props needed to
in the back so that the audience wouldn’t be refrigerated. Speaking of props, the next
see the puppeteers operating Paddington. section is all about them!
The stairs are made to be
secure as well so actors
and puppeteers feel safe
walking up and down the
stairs-which they do a lot
during the show! Since
Paddington is a puppet
in this show and we do
not want the puppeteers
to be seen, the set also
had to include walls
high enough to hide the
puppeteers, but not too
high so the audience can
still see Paddington and
the other actors on stage.
For the first floor, the wall
was made to look like
11PROPS
Props are the objects that you
see in the show that the actor’s
(and bears) touch. Because
Paddington gets his hands into
many things, there were a lot of
props for the show!
Since Paddington is a puppet
in the show, many of the props
also had to be made to scale
for him as well as be easy for his
paw gloves to hold.
A Props Master is the person
who collects and makes props
for a show. Some props can be
bought, but others need to be
made.
Some of the props are real, but other props need to be fake
for a few different reasons.
One of the reasons is so no one gets hurt. If Paddington was
using a real hammer in the show, he might have actually
put a hole in the wall! So the Props Master built a hammer
that looks real, but it is actually made of rubber so it doesn’t
hurt anyone.
Another reason is so it doesn’t create a huge mess. If the
first cake that gets dropped on the floor in the show was
real, it would have gotten all over the floor! Someone could
have tripped on it, and it would have gotten on everyone’s
shoes and clothes. So the Props master sets out to build
what looks like a real cake, but won’t actually spatter all
over the floor. Because some of the Props are fake, the have
to look real, but another element helps them feel real which
is the sound comes in!
12Sound & Music in Paddington
To help some of the props feel real, sound effects were designed and made to help the
audience believe what happens on the stage. All sound effects are recorded before the show
opens and are stored onto a computer, which are controlled during the show from a booth in
the back. Everytime a sound needs to happen it is called a sound cue, which are numbered in
the order they come in the show. The Stage Manager calls all the cues in the show-meaning
the stage manager follows a script that has all the cues written into it. The Stage Manager
watches the show and follows along in the script at the same time. Sometimes a cue is taken
off of a certain word of movement from an actor, which the Stage Manager, Director and
actor have decided on before during rehearsals. For example, when Paddington uses the
hammer, which has a sound cue as it hits the pipes in the bathroom, the Stage Manager
watches Paddington. Once Paddington has taken a breath and raises the hammer slightly,
the stage manager knows to press the button to play the hammer cue. The sound comes out
of many different speakers that are hidden in the stage and the audience so everyone can
hear it. The speakers are installed
during the tech week, which is the last
week of rehearsal before the show
starts performances for audience
members.
The show was also given a
musical underscore written by
Nate Edmondson to highlight the
emotions and energize the scenes.
These are put as sound cues as well.
13LIGHTS IN PADDINGTON
The same is similar for lighting. Lights are hung in the theater when the actors are not
rehearsing during the beginning of tech week. The lights get wired into a computer as well,
and can be turned on by a lightboard in the booth. Just like sound cues, there are different
light cues that are also numbered in the show and written into the Stage Managers script.
The Stage Manager will watch the show and follow along with the script. When a light cue
needs to happen, the Stage Manager will press the ‘go’ button on the light board.
Sometimes for shows, the Stage Manager isn’t alone in the booth. Sometimes there is a light
board operator and a sound board operator. If a sound and light board operators are in the
booth, then the Stage Manager will tell them over a headset when to hit the cues. They use
headsets so they can be quieter and no audience members will hear them or distract them if
the audience is laughing loudly.
KEY TO INSTRUMENTATION
DOWN STORAGE S4-19 @
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BATHTUB 50w
BED 3 2 1
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PADDINGTON
5 1 5
GETS IN A JAM
301 LIGHTING BY:
N G
O
T
FO AN JAMIE RODERICK
H
R R 622 WEST 137TH ST APT. 32
H
AN FO NEW YORK, NY 10031
T (845) 242-6836
G O
N JAMIE.RODERICK@GMAIL.COM
THIS DRAWING REPRESENTS VISUAL CONCEPTS AND
CONSTRUCTION SUGGESTIONS ONLY. IT DOES NOT REPLACE
THE KNOWLEDGE AND ADVICE OF A LICENSED STRUCTURAL
ENGINEER. THE DESIGNER IS UNQUALIFIED TO DETERMINE
THE STRUCTURAL APPROPRIATENESS OF THIS DESIGN AND
WILL NOT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR IMPROPER
ENGINEERING OR USE.
SCALE: 1/2" = 1' PLATE
DRAWN BY: JAMIE RODERICK
6 2 1 6 CREATED:
REVISED:
PIPE C
PIPE A
21 22
FILE: JRLD START FILE.VWX OF X2
OVERHEAD PLOT
PIPE B
HEATER
14OPERATING PADDINGTON
To give the illusion
that Paddington is
a bear and nothing
else, the puppeteers
are hidden during the
show. Because they are
hidden you might not
know that Paddington
is performed by three
different puppeteers
during the show!
Whenever Paddington is
onstage he requires two
puppeteers, one main
and one assistant. The
main puppeteer controls
Paddington’s head
and his left hand. The
assistant puppeteer controls Paddington’s right hand
and is responsible for handling all of Paddington’s
props below the stage.
However for Paddington Gets in a Jam, there are
two main puppeteers and one assistant puppeteer.
Because the show is almost an hour long and
Paddington needs to change clothes very quickly,
each time Paddington switches outfits, he actually
switches to a new puppet in a different outfit with a
different main puppeteer. The assistant will switch
right before the change to the new Paddington.
The puppeteers move across the floor on small
wheelys so they can hide and not have to crawl on
their knees the whole show. All the movements are
directed by the main puppeteer, and the assistant
follows.The assistant puppeteer stays as close
as possible to whoever is the main puppeteer so
that they can move as one. There are different
wheelys for the upstairs and downstairs so that the
puppeteers do not have to carry the wheelys up
and down the stairs.
15STAGE MAGIC
During Paddington Gets in a Jam, Paddington makes quite a mess in Mr. Curry’s house!
But how do you make a cake explode out of an oven? Or flood a bathroom? Or vacuum
up a portrait? Or have a bear put on a magic show?! That’s where Special Effects come in.
The Special Effects are sometimes designed into the set, the lighting design, sound design,
and most of the time are very practical, so they can be done over and over for all the
performances during the week.
We don’t want to spoil how all the magic in the show happens, but often it’s done with the
help of magnets, small hidden levers, pulley systems, trap doors, and actors/puppeteers
being sneaky back or under stage.
Okay, we will let you know how we do one of our stage magic tricks. Paddington bakes a cake
during the show, but at the end it explodes out! During the show, after Paddington puts the
cake in the oven, during a certain point in the show when no one is looking in the kitchen,
the actor playing Great Aunt Matilda opens a trap door in the back of the oven and takes
the cake Paddingotn made out. Then at the right time she puts the exploding cake into the
oven and puts a headset on so she can hear the Stage Manager. The Stage Manager will her
when to go to start pushing the exploding cake out of the oven!
16THAT KIND OF BEAR
While writing and rehearsing Paddington Gets in a Jam, the team wanted to make sure we
got Paddington right-that he would be that kind of bear that readers all over the world that
expande generations has fallen in love with. There were several aspects of his personality we
wanted to make sure we got right.
MANNERS HELPING HAND
Paddington’s Aunt Lucy made sure to teach Paddington loves to lend a helping hand-another
Paddington his manners! Paddington always makes way to bring joy to the people around him. During
sure to greet everyone politely and to say his please Paddington Gets in a Jam, Paddington tries his best to
and thank yous. To Paddington, manners and help Mr. Curry clean his house.
politeness go a long way into bringing happiness into Discussion Questions:
the world.
Why do you think it’s important to be helpful?
Discussion Questions:
What are the ways that Paddington helped Mr.
Why do you think it is important to be polite? Curry in the show?
What are things that people do when they are Who are people that you know who are helpers?
being polite?
How can you help?
How was Paddington polite in the show?
Exercise Activities:
Exercise Activities:
As a class, make a list of helpers.
As a class, make a list of polite words and sayings.
Have the children draw a picture of someone
Try to have the classroom say Please, Thank you helping them.
and You’re Welcome at least 10 times today.
Have the children make it a goal to help someone
today.
KINDNESS
Paddington at his core has always been kind. Whether WELCOMING
it has been bringing his good friend Mr. Gruber a Paddington was once a stranger in a new land, so he
present or helping Mr. Curry with his chores (even knows how important it is to welcome a new friend and
though sometimes Paddington may not want to). neighbor into his life.
Discussion Questions:
Discussion Questions:
Why do you think it’s important to be kind?
Why do you think it’s important to be welcoming?
In what ways is Paddington kind?
How does a welcoming person make you feel?
How are you kind?
How can you be welcoming to a new neighbor? A
Describe a way someone was kind to you. new classmate?
Exercise Activities: Exercise Activities:
Have the class think of all the people who have Have the classroom make a Welcome banner for
been kind of them. whenever there is a new person in their school.
Have the class make a Thank You card to a person
who has been kind to them.
17MAGIC ACTIVITIES
Paddington performs a magic show to make Great Aunt Matilda smile. You
can perform your own magic show as well! Here are a few tricks to teach your
classroom
Need: bowl, water, five toothpicks, dish soap
THE MAGIC TOUCH Prep: Fill the bowl with water. Arrange four
toothpicks in a square in the middle of the
bowl. Make sure their tips overlap so they stay
together! Dip the fifth toothpick in dish soap and
set to the side.
Directions:
1. Have your audience gather around the pie,
either on the table or the ground.
2. Tell them you will fill a tooth pick with magic
power to make the square toothpicks separate.
3. Take your toothpick that has been dipped in
dish soap and say whatever magic words you’d
like into the toothpick. 4. Place the toothpick in
the middle of the square. The dish soap will make
the toothpicks fly apart in the water!
Need: sugar cubes (best to use Imperial Sugar or Dixie
SUGAR CUBE NUMBER Crystals), a pencil, a glass of water (best if you can see in
the glass)
Prep: Make sure there is water in the glass
Directions:
1. Have someone in the audience pick a number 1-10.
2. Write the number on a sugar cube using a pencil.
3. Pick up the sugar cube and squeeze the numberside
against your thumb (the number will get transferred to
your thumb!)
4. Drop the sugarcube in the glass of water and allow it to
dissolve.
5. Ask for your volunteer to come up and take their hand,
pressing your thumb against his or her palm so the number
can transfer to their palm.
6. Ask your volunteer to wave their hand over the glass to
save the number. You can have them say magic words as
well and then flip over their hand. The number will be on
their palm! This is because of science! Graphite (carbon
atoms) from the pencil transfer easily to human skin.
18MAGIC ACTIVITIES
MAGIC COIN IN HAND
Need: a long Sleeve shirt, a coin
Prep: You will need to practice having a coin slide out
from your sleeve into your hand. Beforehand, sneak a
coin into your sleeve, aiming it to sit right at the elbow.
Directions:
1. Hold your arm vertically like waving hello.
2. Tell the audience you will make a coin magically
appear in your hand. Show them that your hand is
currently empty.
3. Wave and say magical things with your other hand to
distract the audience.
4. As you say the last magical phrase, drop your palm
down falling backwards and the coin will slip into your
hand out of the sleeve. 5. Grab it quickly and then show
the audience how it magically appeared there.
19BAKING ACTIVITIES
MAKE YOUR OWN RECIPE!
Have children write a recipe for the most delicious birthday cake they can think of. Then Have them make their
birthday cake out of playdough or clay (or draw a picture of it).
PADDINGTON TOAST!
Need: bread, marmalade, banana slices, blueberries, sliced
strawberries (optional), and blue and red fruit rollup (optional)
Directions:
1. Toast bread (optional)
2. Spread marmalade over the slice.
3. Using three banana slices place two at the top for ears and
one in the center for Paddington’s snout.
4. Use three blueberries, two for Paddington’s eyes and one for
Paddington’s nose.
5. Use sliced strawberries to make Paddington’s hat (optional)
Can also use Blue and Red fruit rollup to make Paddington’s
hat and duffle coat.
Let parents know they can make the same thing at home with
peanut butter or nutella if they desire.
DECORATING PADDINGTON
CUPCAKES!
Check with parents to see if you can bring cupcakes
into the classroom. Have the children make their own
Paddington cupcake. Use chocolate frosting for his fur,
a small cookie for his snout. And use the frosting again
for the nose. You can use blue frosting for the eyes, and
either print out little red hats or use red frosting for the
hats. Remember to take a picture of the kids with their
cupcakes before they eat them!
20CREATIVE ACTIVITIES
WRITE YOUR OWN
PADDINGTON STORY
Paddington has had so many different stories and
adventures that he has been on. You can try to
make your own Paddington story too! Here are
some ideas to help you get started
Who is in the story?
Every story needs a hero-not necessarily a
superhero, but someone who the story is about.
During the story the hero can interact with many
different people. Paddington is the hero of the
story, but are there other people with him? Perhaps
the Browns? Mr Curry or Mr Gruber? Or the Queen
of England? Or perhaps Paddington is meeting you!
Where does the story happen?
Every story has to take place somewhere. Most
of Paddington’s stories take place at his home in
London. Paddington Gets in a Jam takes place
at Mr. Curry’s house. Perhaps you want to tell a
story where Paddingotn is back in Peru. Or maybe
Paddington visits your school or house? You can
make Paddington go anywhere you want!
What happens in the story?
This is probably the most fun part! The best stories
have a beginning, middle and end. The beginning
may start with a normal day in the character’s life
or it might start with an interesting opportunity
for the character. In the middle of the story, a
problem may happen that changes things for
the characters. In the end, we get to see how the
problem was solved! Often in a Paddington story
things don’t go as planned for Paddington, that’s
the problem that occurs in the story. But by the end
of the story we find out how Paddington solves his
problems, which are usually very funny and creative
for a bear. What will happen in your story?
You can draw pictures in your book to help tell the
story as well!
21BOOKLIST
This is probably the most fun part! The best Continued novels since 2012
stories he Original Paddington novel series
Paddington Here and Now
A Bear Called Paddington
Paddington Races Ahead
More About Paddington
Paddington Helps Out
Paddington Abroad Paddington Picture Books
Paddington Marches on
A Bear Called Paddington
Paddington at Work
Paddington Bear in the Garden
Paddington Goes to Town
Paddington Bear at the Circus
Paddington Takes the Air
Paddington Goes Shopping
Paddington on Top
Paddington at the Seaside
Paddington Takes the Test
Paddington at the Tower
Paddington Storybook Collection
22PRE-SHOW DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
1. What is theatre? What is the difference between live theatre and a movie
or television?
2. Imagine you are an actor on stage. What kind of part would you like to
play? How would you like the audience to respond to your performance?
3. Have students brainstorm ways they think the characters will be
portrayed by the actors. For example, how do they think the actors will
portray the fireflies, which are very small in real life? Remind them to
consider techniques such as movement, voice, costume and makeup. Have
each student pick a character and design a costume.
4. Enhance your visit by encouraging your
students to look at different aspects
of the production. Before the show,
identify tasks for your class. Have
one group of students looking at
the set, another listening for the
music and sound effects, a
third watching the lighting
and a fourth, the costumes.
Compare notes after the
show about what they
observed. Your students
will be more informed and
they’ll be surprised by how
much they noticed.
23AFTER SHOW DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
1. Mr. Curry had a very large house! What was something you spied in his home
that you have in your home?
2. Paddington wore a lot of different outfits in the show! Which of his outfits
would you want to wear?
3. Have you ever baked before? What did you bake? Did everything go to plan?
4. Great Aunt Matilda loved Paddington’s magic show. Have you ever been to
a magic show before? Have you put on your own magic show? Do you know a
magic trick you can show everyone?
5. There was a lot of stage magic in the show! How do you think they did some of
the stage magic? (Paddington’s magic show, the bathroom flooding, vacuuming
the curtains, flowers, portrait, etc)
6. Paddington helped Mr. Curry clean up his house. What is a way you have
helped your neighbor or a way that you could help your neighbor?
7. Some of the things Paddington tried to do didn’t go as planned. Has one of
your plans not worked out the way you thought it would? What did you do?
24ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
Here are some links to very cute Paddington Crafts!
SIMPLE ORIGAMI
PADDINGTON
TOILET PAPER TUBE
PADDINGTON
(WITH SUITCASE!)
www.redtedart.com/paper-paddington-bear-craft/
BROWN PAPER BAG
PADDINGTON
www.redtedart.com/paddington-
bear-craft-using-tp-rolls-of-course//
mommyneedscookies.com/2018/02/17/paddington-
puppet/
25ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
FUN FAST CLEAN UP GAME
During Paddington Gets in a Jam , Mr Curry and Paddington have
to clean up the house real quick for Great Aunt Matilda’s arrival!
Intentionally tell the kids to make a mess and try to see if they can
clean it up as fast as possible! Perhaps play a
song that they really like and have them try to clean up everything
before the end of the song!
FRUIT PORTRAIT
During Paddington Gets in a Jam, Paddington makes a portrait
out of fruit of Great Aunt Matilda. However, he is not the first person
to ever make a face with fruit! Giuseppe Arcimboldo was a Late
Renaissance painter for Italy, who often painted portraits of people
painting their facial features as fruits!
Have your classroom try to make portraits of one of the Paddington
characters using fruit
DRAW YOUR OWN PADDINGTON
Have your classroom draw their favorite scene from Paddington
Gets in a Jam .
26LETTER TO THE CAST & CREW
Dear Paddington Cast and Crew,
Hello, my name is…
My favorite part of the show was…
When I left the show I was…
One question I have about the show is…
Sincerely,
NAME GRADE SCHOOL
On the back is a drawing of the show I made…PaddingtonGetsInAJam.com
PaddingtonGetsInAJam.com
PaddingtonGetsInAJam.com
PaddingtonGetsInAJam.com
PaddingtonGetsInAJam.com
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